


Father, I'm Gonna Be Mask King

by awildneko



Category: King of Mask Singer (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 05:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13047858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildneko/pseuds/awildneko
Summary: A tale of a comedienne who became curious enough to try.





	Father, I'm Gonna Be Mask King

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Biscuit Lion (cookiethelion)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiethelion/gifts).



Bongsun finished singing the last note of the song and slowly opened her eyes, finding the sharp gaze of her vocal instructor staring right back at her. The usually self assured comedienne ducked her head to break contact and waited with bated breath for the latest verdict.

"Hmmm better than before. But you still need to work a lot on your intonation" her vocal instructor told her firmly.

Well, that was definitely an improvement on what she had been told a few weeks ago.

As a regular panellist on King of Mask Singer, Bongsun had been lucky enough to see many famous celebrities and wonderful singers perform live on the show. Yet over time she'd become curious about what it would be like to sing on the show.

There had been many a celebrity singing on the show without the talent and technique of a professional. Only a few had embarrassed themselves a bit by singing at the wrong time, pace or the wrong lyrics, and even they had been able to laugh it off in the positive atmosphere of the show.

So she had started to wonder how she would fare. Was there a song she could pick that suited her voice? And, most importantly, how long would it take the other panellists to recognise her?

She'd briefly mentioned it over drinks with her manager, who, after another half bottle of soju, had become increasingly excited about the idea, and a month later here she was practising diligently just a few days before her recording on the show as a contestant.

She'd met her first competitor, and it was one of the weirdest things she'd ever experienced. They had to practice the duet they were due to sing together, but they weren't allowed to know each others' identities. So they stood there in the room together with their half formed masks that the design teams still needed to finish up before the recording, trying to work together.

All she knew about the other contestant was that they were tall and seemed like a man. (Though after several occasions on the show where the singer was revealed to be the opposite gender to what they had been made to believe, Bongsun couldn't be sure about that one. During one contest a contestant had all of the judges and most of the studio audience fooled for two entire rounds, until they revealed that he was in fact a boy and not a girl).

The vocal instructor tossed a bottle of water over with a small smile. "You've worked hard" she said, some of the usual harshness vacant from her voice, before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Bongsun opened the bottle and took several large gulps of the soothing liquid. Her stomach felt a bit calmer now with the words of her instructor. She'd just keep practising and see how things go at the recording.

 

~

Despite her lack of experience in singing, that was not the most difficult part of preparing for her appearance on the show. No, that honour went to the challenge of keeping her casting on the show a secret from her family and friends, and most difficult of all, her fellow panellists.

She hadn't appeared at recordings for a few weeks now. Her management had given some excuse relating to 'family matters' for the producers to spread, so that people wouldn't become too suspicious of her sudden absence.

Bongsun was naturally chatty and funny by nature, so as part of her preparation for the show she decided to give herself a persona that was 180 degrees from her usual self. She would be silent, stand still, tall and proud as if she were a wise senior singer. The others knew her too well that if she let any of her usual mannerisms slip, she was sure they would catch onto her identity.

Kim Sungjoo, the presenter of the show, played an important role in being impartial and neutral, and she finally felt as if she understood some of what he faced when he too had to keep from revealing contestants' identities. He'd already called her up, apparently having received his script for the episode she was to appear in, and spent most of the conversation laughing with sheer joy and amusement at her casting.

"On a serious note though" he had managed as his fit of giggling began to die down "your identity is definitely going to be the most difficult one for me to keep hidden!"

~

The morning of the recording, Bongsun was a bundle of nerves. She had not been this jumpy before a variety show before, but this was so out of her comfort zone. She couldn't rely on her usual wit and charm to make an impression and get by. No, this time she only had her voice, and it made her feel vulnerable.

"Why did I sign up to do this again?" she asked her manager as they drove to the studio, entering a different way to where the panellists usually arrived to help protect her anonymity.

"You'll be fine." he told her with a reassuring smile over his shoulder at her, awkward in that way that many middle aged men can be. "Just try to relax some and enjoy yourself - that's what this whole show is about. No one will be able to guess it's you with that voice anyway!"

She wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

~

Once the stylists had had their way with her, dressed in a long glamorous dress, and her heavy mask in all it's colourful glory, her anxieties started fading away into the background. It was as if they belonged to someone else, as if, by wearing the mask she had set them aside to take on the role of her mask 'Father, I’m Gonna Be Mask King'.

Her character was an ambitious lady, poised and professional, whom had left home after telling her father she would make it to the top and become the King [of Mask Singer].

(If she were looking at this logically, and as herself, she would see that this possibility were unlikely, but 'Father, I’m Gonna Be Mask King' knew she was ready and trusted in her own abilities.)

She wasn't to perform until the second half of the show, so there was a bit of a wait; time to warm up and practice her stance so that she would be more difficult to recognise.

~

When it was finally her turn to perform, she entered the stage without yet daring to face the panel.

It was only when she finally reached the front, her first masked rival entering the opposite side of the stage, that she dared to peak over at the judges. Beneath the mask her face felt hot, and she tried to calm her breathing. The judges were making their usual observations, but as her gaze ran over each of their faces, none seemed to have recognised her yet. She was especially concerned about Gura, whom she often bickered with lightheartedly on the show. Out of all of the 12 judges there that day, he was the one who had the most chance of finding out who she was prematurely. She at least wanted to be able to sing the duet in it's entirety before that happened.

It wasn't long before the music began, and she could forget about some of her fears and focus on her singing. It was hard to stay still, to act against her usual habits of moving frequently and fluidly, but if she thought about the persona of her mask, she could do it.

As the song progressed to the 1 minute mark, she found herself relaxing and enjoying her role. A slight sway here, a twirl of her hand there. The simple movements were all she needed to stay hidden and attract some curiosity from her audience.

The singing felt easier than it had done when she'd nervously practised. She and her duet partner had gone over the music time and time again; she felt it coming to her almost naturally.

When they did finish, it felt like the song had ended too soon. Bongsun raised her gaze, noticing that many members of the audience were stood in the seats and clapping endlessly. A standing ovation. She glanced to her right at her competitor and duet partner and smiled to herself. If nothing else, they must have somehow given the audience a performance that they could enjoy.

Sungjoo came to join them on stage and introduce them officially, giving the audience their chance to vote for their favourite of the two singers. Then the panelists, one by one, gave their opinions and guesses of who could be hidden behind the masks.

“So you think they are both professional singers?” Sungjoo asked one of the panelists, Yongseok.

“I do.” was his sure reply. The other panelists then nodded in agreement.

Bongsun wanted to laugh or cry but she couldn’t let herself. Even though their words sounded a bit ridiculous, even when their showering of compliments made her feel like she could burst, she had to keep herself together.

Standing so still did attract attention from Gura, who suggested her acting that way was because she had something to hide.

The other panelists seemed to think that only a true professional could act so well, which helped to redirect some of the scrutiny around Bongsun’s identity. It didn’t seem like she’d given herself away quite yet.

The panelists made it clear that voting between the two contestants had been a difficult task for them. Before now, Bongsun had thought that she'd be happy to get it all over with and be voted out in the first round. Yet now, as she stood here enjoying the moment, she started feeling a little greedy. Yes, it would be amazing if the audience chose her. It was still unlikely, but the thought occurred to her nonetheless, and she found herself watching the other contestant to see what vibe she felt from them.

For a moment her usual role as a panellist came to her out of habit. If she were to make her own analogy, she would suggest that they were a male idol. Not a main vocalist - no, they didn't seem to give off that air of confidence that only main vocals did - but a decent vocalist who could probably hold their own against the current king. And she was betting with that nice height and lean body of theirs, they'd probably also have a handsome face.

Sungjoo raised his hand into the air and looked at the camera directly in front of him, just as he always did when it was time to announce the winner of the round. The audience stilled.

The music shifted to sirens and Bongsun's skin buzzed with adrenaline. She knew, without raising her gaze, that everyone would be sat towards the edge of their seats, some covering their eyes because the suspense in the room was too much.

The time extended until it felt like she had been standing there for hours, rather than mere seconds, waiting for her fate to be determined. It was dark and hot inside the mask, and she felt an increasing urge to rip the material off in a dramatic fashion, freeing her hair and her identity at once.

Then Sungjoo spoke, the words a muffled noise next to her that she didn't quite catch. The studio erupted in congratulatons. When she looked up, Bongsun saw Sungjoo approaching her, grinning widely.

"Congratulations 'Father, I’m Gonna Be Mask King', you've won this round by a difference of 7 votes. Now you may go and wait backstage." he said, and Bongsun's eyes widened beneath her mask. It was a good thing that no one could see her face right now, for she knew her expression of realisation would probably catch some of the viewers off guard.

She'd won!

~

Her legs were like jelly as she walked back off the stage in a bit of a haze. A camera was waiting as soon as she exited, wanting to do one of those post performance interviews. She gave a double thumbs up, but in that moment her legs felt as if they were about to give way beneath her, and she couldn't say anything. To say that she felt overwhelmed would be a bit of an understatement. She leaned on the wall as she dazedly made her way back to the dressing room, escorted by the uniformed bodyguards (a health and safety requirement to make sure she didn't bump into things in her mask).

There wasn't much time for her to recover however; as soon as she had been directed to a chair and allowed her face to feel the cool air outside of the mask, her managed pointed her to the screen, which showed a live version of what was happening on the stage.

Her competitor was now singing his solo song. Halfway through they'd ask him to remove his mask and reveal his identity, and then he would sing without it.

The song he'd chosen was 'I Don't Love You' by Urban Zakapa, an absolutely heart wrenching tale of someone confessing that they no longer love their partner. Bongsun cried every time she heard the original, but hearing this version, sung live and solo instead of by a trio of singers brought tears to her eyes again.

His voice was lovely to listen to, and Bongsun sat there, now entirely surprised that she had won over him. She would have definitely voted for him.

At an instrumental pause in the song, Sungjoo asked the masked contestant to reveal himself, and true to the style of the show the man turned to the back of stage, showing those sat behind before anyone else.

The select audience members responsible for those initial reactions gasped, talking excitedly amongst themselves and clearly all recognising the face that they had now seen.

He slowly turned to face the rest of the audience, and Bongsun stood from her chair with a wild shout.

"It's Seulong! Seulong from 2AM!" she squealed, and the others in the room joined in her ecstatic surprise.

She had been right after all. Seulong was from a vocal idol group, and he was surely handsome. Probably the most handsome of all four members.

He finished the song with his beautiful voice and handsome face, and smiled as he finished and introduced himself to everyone there.

Bongsun looked to her manager. "Did I really just sing a duet with Seulong of 2AM and win?"

The expression on his face told her that he was just as shocked as she was.

Their joint feeling surprise did nothing to tame the confidence that had begun to flourish within her. 

If she had won this first round, perhaps she could go further - maybe even all the way? 

“Father, I’m Gonna Be King” she grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this gift for you :) 
> 
> I really love King of Mask Singer and I am glad to read that there is someone else out there who enjoys it too! 
> 
> Bongsun is one of my favourite panelists so I couldn't resist when you mentioned that you'd like a story about her. However my writing did stray a bit from your original request, so I hope you still enjoy <3


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